Renewable energy systems are still much more expensive than traditional grid connected power, except in remote areas. Thus it is important that designs be optimised to achieve the least delivered energy cost over a lifetime of 20 years or so. This paper shows that to achieve grid level of reliability with wind solar and storage units alone is impossibly expensive so practical designs have always incorporated standby generation of some sort or other. This paper describes a simulation technique that enables a cost minimal, balanced system design.

No abstract

Renewable energy systems are still much more expensive than traditional grid connected power, except in remote areas. Thus it is important that designs be optimised to achieve the least delivered energy cost over a lifetime of 20 years or so. This paper shows that to achieve grid level of reliability with wind solar and storage units alone is impossibly expensive so practical designs have always incorporated standby generation of some sort or other. This paper describes a simulation technique that enables a cost minimal, balanced system design.

No abstract

The Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority in the UK set out in 2003 to make a significant move up the waste hierarchy. With a population of over 2·27 million people and an annual municipal waste volume of up to 1·5 Mt across nine local authorities, Europe’s largest ever public sector waste procurement project was an ambitious programme from the start. The plans included the development of a range of new facilities which would process Greater Manchester’s municipal waste for the next 25 years and lead the way in intelligent waste resource management.